WHY WE RETREAT AND WHY YOU SHOULD TOO
Taking in the Sites, Retreating - @claybanks
When's the last time that you’ve retreated? I mean, voluntarily packed your bags, hopped on a plane and retreated? Or even better, when have you moved to a new space, place or attitude? You choose your mode of transportation.
The global pandemic, which forced people around the world to retreat into their homes, doesn’t necessarily count. It forced us to retreat from our daily routines, regiments, and many of those unhealthy rewards we tend to indulge in when life feels unbearable. Ok, the shutdown did, admittedly, make us acutely aware of personal issues, unconscious patterns, and unhealthy habits that we had yet to properly address. For others 2020 was essentially a reset.
Yes, 2020 was a reset..
And, perhaps surprisingly, many came out of it clearer about who they are, what they need to be happy, healthy and fulfilled and knowing what really matters in life.
That being said, when was the last time you intentionally treated yourself to a retreat?
Before you answer that, let’s talk about why black women owe it to ourselves to retreat.
A Snapshot of Black Women's Lives:
They’re busy, hectic, demanding
They take care of children, spouses, friends, aging parents, jobs, clients
They give, give, and give to exhaustion and burnout
Rarely do they prioritize self-care and “me-time”
They are over-scheduled and overwhelmed
They’re at the bottom of their own to-do lists
Too many are tired, angry, depressed, lonely, and in despair
6 Reasons Women Ought to Retreat
Familiar environments lead us to do familiar things, many that no longer serve our highest and best good
Beautiful, new environments give us permission to unplug and inspire new possibilities and ways of seeing ourselves
New places allow us to relax, recharge, renew, and reinvent ourselves without interruptions
You’ll grow in self-awareness, self-knowledge and self-love
You’ll gain a new perspective and boost your sense of self-worth
FINALLY you can prioritize your needs, desires, and dreams
In a sentence, when we withdraw from familiar faces, places and habits and take ourselves somewhere new, where we can finally attend to ourselves emotionally, physically and spiritually, we send a powerful message to the Universe. What’s that message? It’s this, “I realize I matter. And I am worthy of attention and self-care.”
For those who have never taken a retreat, a retreat is not a vacation. Most vacations are about getting out, sight-seeing, mingling, having fun with others, and indulging in what that new locale has to offer.
A retreat, however, is about going within. It’s about turning your attention onto you with the goal of releasing, renewing, and transforming yourself.
So, I encourage you to retreat, and do it often.
If I’ve convinced you of the magic, beauty and transformative power of retreating and you’re ready to treat yourself to one, I invite you to join Wellside Retreats’ “Adventure, Intimacy & Healing” Retreat in Bali, Indonesia May 18-25, 2022. Save the dates and stay tuned for further details. There’s just space for 10 women, so if you’re interested, contact us and we will add you to the waitlist at info@wellsideretreats.com
In the meantime, take a new way home from the grocery store, change the direction of your morning walk or rearrange your furniture and notice how even the smallest movement away from the familiar recharges you.
-Kathy